"You have done us proud as an Institute" - 2 current students and six alumni in starting team, 2 backroom team members and 1 alumni and 1 student on squad
Almost half of the Waterford starting team named for the All-Ireland Hurling Final on Sunday, 3 September 2017 have studied at South East Technological University.
Courses at the Institute’s Department of Sport and Exercise Science, and Department of Graduate Business are the two most popular areas for hurlers to study.
The Institute has a strong GAA record – this year SETU GAA club celebrated its 35th anniversary.
A sports scholarship programme, and a graduate business scholarship programme for both male and female county GAA players also make WIT’s undergraduate and postgraduate courses attractive options, as does the facilities at the €20m SETU Arena which opened a year ago.
Ahead of Sunday’s game SETU President, Prof Willie Donnelly stated: “At SETU we wish the very best to the Waterford Hurling Team on Sunday and look forward to bringing back the Liam MacCarthy Cup to Waterford. It is extraordinary to think that there are 12 members of the team and back up support team who are either current students or Alumni of SETU.
“Our best wishes to all the team members, particularly to Noel Connors (PhD), Austin Gleeson and Shane McNulty who are all current students, and also Stephen Barrett, support team, who is a SETU PhD student and staff member in the Department of Sport and Exercise Science. You have done us proud as an Institute.”
The SETU GAA Club would like to wish all players and management teams the very best of luck on Sunday. Katie Redmond, GAA Development Officer at SETU said:
“We would also like to thank and acknowledge all our current and past students for their commitment along with their tremendous discipline towards the SETU GAA Club. The Club can certainly be proud of their achievements both on and off the field. Finally, we would like to wish them all the best for the future, both in their sporting discipline and also within their studies.”
The SETU students named in the starting team are:
4. Noel Connors (Passage) Noel Connors: Current SETU PhD Business student doing research on club leadership within the GAA.
6. Austin Gleeson (Mount Sion) Austin Gleeson: Current third year Business student and sports scholarship student.
Starting team SETU alumni are:
1. Stephen O'Keeffe: Former SETU Business student who won the Fitzgibbon cup with SETU in 2014, playing in goal
2. Shane Fives (Tourin): Shane Fives: Former Recreation and Sport Management student who, as a first year, won the Fitzgibbon cup with SETU in 2008 on the half back line.
10. Kevin Moran (De La Salle) Former SETU Fitzgibbon cup winning captain in 2008.
11. Pauric Mahony (Ballygunner) Former SETU Business Management Masters student.
12. Jake Dillon (De La Salle) Former SETU Recreation and Sport Management
14. Michael Walsh (Stradbally) Former SETU Business Masters student and three-time Fitzgibbon cup winner with SETU 2003, 2004, 2006.
And there's more...
Also on the Waterford panel is Shane McNulty: Current third year Business student and sports scholarship student. Fitzgibbon cup with SETU in 2014 at centre-forward.
Another Waterford hurling squad member with SETU connections is Stephen Roche: Former SETU Business Management Masters student. He won a Fitzgibbon Cup with SETU in 2014 at midfield.
There are also SETU links in the backroom team, including:
Stephen Barrett, Waterford Nutritionist, is a lecturer in the Department of Sport & Exercise Science. He is also a current PhD student at SETU.
Gary Walsh, Waterford’s strength and conditioning coach, is a former student of Department of Sport and Exercise Science where he studied Recreation and Sport Management.